First of all, I would like to thank this forum. I was able to download all the manuals I needed for the tractor, onan engine, and the mower deck from this forum. What a great service. Reading some of the other post also help give me some ideas.

I already have a Sears Suburban 10 that has been a real workhorse. Found it about 9 -10 years ago with flat tires and covered with a tarp. It hadn't been cranked in at least 8 or 9 years. Anyway, I saw this ad on Craigslist for a 16/TWIN for $100. Couldn't resist going to see it and drove the 40 - 50 miles each way. It had a lot of surface rust on the sheet metal, and the gas tank was completely rusted out. It had not been cranked in about 15 years. Other than that, it looked like something I could work with. The engine was not locked up and I couldn't tell anything about the compression by turning the flywheel by hand. Didn't seem to have a lot of compression. Couldn't resist a challenge so I bought it.

I won't go into all the details on what it took to get it running but it runs well and has plenty of power. It smokes a little when you first start it and when you rev the engine. The attached pictures show what it looks like now after some restoration. Didn't thing about taking "before" pictures until I already had it completely disassempled. You may or may not can tell from the pictures, but I made all the decals on the tractor, mixed the paint to match as best I could, and even made a gas tank from 1/16" diamond plate sheet aluminum that I had.

Tell me what you think. I'll be glad to go into more detail on the various things I did if anyone is interested.

First off welcome to GTtalk and I am glad you found the site a good resource. We are all about learning, sharing and having fun.

As to the tractor, for $100 there is no way you could go wrong. With the pictures you posted you did a great job with it.

I also wouldn't worry about the puffing of smoke at start up or when you rev it, I have a couple of them that do it and unless you are worried about people seeing it smoke then there is no reason to worry. They will last quite a few more years usually.

First off, to GTTalk!
Second, thanks for the pics and kind words. Glad you found us.

I own a SS12 here, thought I had my hands on a 16 a while ago, but the seller never came thru... Oh well.

You have a very nice looking tractor there. I have to ask, why build a gas tank? Are they scarce there or was it the challenge?
Nice job on the decals and as for the smoking... It's old enough. Don't worry unless it gets uncomfortable to operate. Just keep an eagle eye on the levels.

Glad you were able to get the manuals for your tractor. Those always come in handy.
You have a nice looking Sears there. Decals look great, along with everything else. I'd like to see this gas tank and a few more shots under the hood. Show it off!

Thanks for the compliments on my tractor. I've enjoyed working on it. The reason I built the gas tank was because I could not find a decent used one on ebay for less than about $30-$35 that didn't still require additional work such as cleaning out rust and/or patching pinholes. Building a gas tank wasn't real difficult. I have a small sheet metal bending brake and I used Alumiweld, aluminum pop rivits, and a mapp gas torch to put it together. I had a few small pinhole leaks around the end seams but JB weld took care of that. I'm still looking for a good used reasonably-priced gas tank, but hopefully this one will serve the purpose till I can find one.

First off, to GTTalk! Second, thanks for the pics and kind words. Glad you found us.

I own a SS12 here, thought I had my hands on a 16 a while ago, but the seller never came thru... Oh well.

You have a very nice looking tractor there. I have to ask, why build a gas tank? Are they scarce there or was it the challenge?Nice job on the decals and as for the smoking... It's old enough. Don't worry unless it gets uncomfortable to operate. Just keep an eagle eye on the levels.